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Expression and function of the zinc finger transcription factor Sp6–9 in the spider Parasteatoda tepidariorum

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Abstract

Zinc finger transcription factors of the Sp6–9 group are evolutionarily conserved in all metazoans and have important functions in, e.g., limb formation and heart development. The function of Sp6–9-related genes has been studied in a number of vertebrates and invertebrates, but data from chelicerates (spiders and allies) was lacking so far. We have isolated the ortholog of Sp6–9 from the common house spider Parasteatoda tepidariorum and the cellar spider Pholcus phalangioides. We show that the Sp6–9 gene in these spider species is expressed in the developing appendages thus suggesting a conserved role in limb formation. Indeed, RNAi with Sp6–9 in P. tepidariorum leads not only to strong limb defects, but also to the loss of body segments and head defects in more strongly affected animals. Together with a new expression domain in the early embryo, these data suggest that Sp6–9 has a dual role P. tepidariorum. The early role in head and body segment formation is not known from other arthropods, but the role in limb formation is evolutionarily highly conserved.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Beate Preitz for the help with microscopy. We also thank all members of the department for comments that helped to improve the manuscript.

Funding

This work was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (grant numbers PR 1109/4-1 and PR 1109/6-1 to N.M.P. and PE 2075/1-1 and PE 2075/1-2 to M.P.). Additional financial backing has been received from the Göttingen Graduate School for Neurosciences, Biophysics and Molecular Biosciences (GGNB), the Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), and the University of Göttingen (GAU). N.T. has been supported by a Christiane-Nüsslein-Volhard-Foundation fellowship and a “Women in Science” award by L’Oréal Deutschland and the Deutsche UNESCO-Kommission. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

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Author notes

  1. Tatiana Königsmann

    Present address: Research Group Molecular Organogenesis, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Am Fassberg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany

  2. Natascha Turetzek

    Present address: Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach-Institut für Zoologie und Anthropologie, Abteilung Zelluläre Neurobiologie, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany

  3. Tatiana Königsmann and Natascha Turetzek contributed equally.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach-Institut für Zoologie und Anthropologie, Abteilung für Entwicklungsbiologie, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany

    Tatiana Königsmann, Natascha Turetzek & Nikola-Michael Prpic

  2. Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Ernst-Caspari-Haus, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany

    Tatiana Königsmann, Natascha Turetzek & Nikola-Michael Prpic

  3. Biozentrum Köln, Institut für Zoologie, Abteilung für Entwicklungsbiologie, Universität zu Köln, Zülpicher Straße 47b, 50674, Cologne, Germany

    Matthias Pechmann

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  1. Tatiana Königsmann
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Correspondence to Nikola-Michael Prpic.

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Conflict of interest

N.M.P. is a member of the editorial board of Development Genes and Evolution serving as communicating editor for the topical collection “Size & Shape.”

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Communicated by Volker Hartenstein

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Königsmann, T., Turetzek, N., Pechmann, M. et al. Expression and function of the zinc finger transcription factor Sp6–9 in the spider Parasteatoda tepidariorum . Dev Genes Evol 227, 389–400 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00427-017-0595-2

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